Neil deGrasse Tyson on UFOs, Government Files, and the Physics of Alien Claims

Neil deGrasse Tyson returns to The Michael Shermer Show to talk UFOs, aliens, government files, eyewitness testimony, and his new book Take Me to Your Leader: Perspectives on Your First Alien Encounter . The conversation moves from the limits of eyewitness testimony to why secret military files are not evidence of hidden alien bodies, why high-G turns would turn biological pilots into "a pile of goo," why the universe almost certainly contains life elsewhere, and why the real question is not whether aliens exist—but whether anyone has actually produced one. Neil deGrasse Tyson is an astrophysicist and the director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History, where he has served since 1996. Dr. Tyson is also the host and cofounder of the Emmy-nominated popular podcast StarTalk and its spinoff StarTalk Sports Edition , which combine science, humor, and pop culture. He is a recipient of twenty-three honorary doctorates, the Public Welfare Medal from the National Academy of Sciences, and the Distinguished Public Service Medal from NASA. Asteroid 13123 Tyson is named in his honor. His new book is Take Me to Your Leader: Perspectives on Your First Alien Encounter .

You can listen to Neil deGrasse Tyson on UFOs, Government Files, and the Physics of Alien Claims online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Neil deGrasse Tyson on UFOs, Government Files, and the Physics of Alien Claims is an episode from The Michael Shermer Show by Michael Shermer.

This episode is 01:15:11 long.

This episode was published on May 16, 2026.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from The Michael Shermer Show when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.